Manchester, N.H. (November 20) -- Trailing by
as many as 10 points in the second half, the Saint Anselm men's
basketball team rallied for a thrilling 80-75 victory on Tuesday
evening in the Hawks' 2007-2008 home opener. The Hawks placed five
players in double figures, led by 13 points each from brothers
Chris and Greg Vetrano (Andover, Mass.).
In the first half it was the three-pointer that was the story as
the two teams each knocked down eight trifectas and the two teams
ended up tied at 38-38 after one period. Bryant guard Peter
Lambert was perfect from three-point land at 3-for-3 and
was just getting started on a career-high evening.
The Bulldogs opened up the second half on an 18-8 run that was
powered by three Lambert trifectas and capped by a layup from
Barry Latham for the 56-46 lead with 11:45 left.
The Hawks chipped away though and with the help of a Greg Vetrano
three-pointer and a jumper by Thomas Baudinet (Watertown,
Conn.) to pull to within 58-55 with 7:49 left. Saint
Anselm kept up the pressure though and with 2:18 remaining, Chris
Vetrano calmly knocked down a huge three-pointer to give the Hawks
the lead for good at 68-65. After a layup by Giovanni
Carenza (East Hanover, N.J.) gave the Hawks their largest
lead at 76-68 with just 53 seconds left, Bryant managed to climbed
to within three points before the Hawks sealed the win at the free
throw line.
Five Hawks finished in double figures as the team shot 50
percent from the field for the game. In addition, senior guard
Jeff Dickson (Bedford, N.H.) tied his career high
for assists with 10 as he hit double figures in that category for
the fourth time in his career. Lambert finished with a career-best
18 points for the Bulldogs and was joined in double figures by
Chris Birrell with 17 points and Jon
Ezeokoli with 16.
With the win, the Hawks improve to 2-0 overall and in the
Northeast-10, while Bryant drops to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in league
play. Saint Anselm is back in action on Sunday, November 25th when
the team travels to Assumption for a 3:30 p.m. tipoff in
Worcester, Mass.
